Automatic toy



UNITEDv STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN sELDEN, oF -MATTEAWAN, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC TOY.

SPECIFICATION forming part ofl Letters Patent N0. 259,221, dated June 6, 1882.

Application inea April e4, 1882. (No model.) Y' l wan, in the county of Dutchess and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Ioy Boats, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of toy boats which are constructed in imitation of a vessel propelled by steam, being provided in some cases with inclosed mechanism consisting of a wound-up spring and train of wheelwork, and in other cases with a miniature steam-engine for the purpose of propelling them through the water.

My invention consistsjn the employment of mechanism deriving its motion directly from the propelling motor, which mechanism is adapted to communicate intermittent motion to a movable arm at stated times and during determinate periods of time, whereby the di rection of the motion of the boat may be automatically changed by suitable steering devices; or other like operations may be automatically performed.

The invention further consists in certain appliances for adjusting the automatic action of said mechanism, so that it may be brought into operation at any required time andthe duration of such operation also controlled.

The invention further consists in certain novel details of subordinate mechanism, which will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of -the rear portion of a toy boat embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same, taken in the plane ofthe broken line 2 2 inFig. l.

In the gures, A represents the hull of the boat; and B is the main shaft, whereby mo' tion is communicated vfrom a coiled spring,

steam-engine, or other motor, (notshown in the gures,) the constructionpand operation of which are well'knownf- This motor may be situated in the central portion of the hu'll or in any other convenient part of the boat.

In the drawings I have represented theboat as adapted to'be driven through the water by a screw-propeller, C, placed at the stern in a manner well understood. If preferred, paddie-wheels of the ordinary construction might y be employed in lieu of the propeller C, the` only modification necessary in such a case being to place the main shaft B in an appropriate position. A toothed wheel or pinion, b, keyed to the main shaft B, communicates continuous rotary motion to a vertical shaft, E, by means of an intermediate system of toothed wheels, D, the proportion of said wheels being such that the main shaft B will perform a great number of revolutions during each singlerevo-` lution ofthe shaft E. Upon the shaft E, in a position preferably above the deck a of the boat, is keyed a plate, F, which is preferably in the form of a disk, as shown in the figures. The periphery of the plateF is perforated with a circular row of small holes, ff, which are preferably placed at equal distances apart.

lThese holes are each adapted to receive a projecting pin, G, which is removable, and therefore capable of being inserted in any one of the holesff at pleasure. A movable arm, H., carried by the upright shaft I, when in itsnorlnal position, as shown in Fig. 1, projects into the path of the pin Gr as it is carried around by the slow revolution of the plate F.

From the foregoing explanation it will be understood that when the boat is placed inthe water and the propelling mechanism set in motion the plate F, by reason of its mechanical connection with the main shaft B, will be cause'dto revolve slowly in the direction indicated bythe arrow in Fig. l. After the main shafthas made a sufticientnumber of revolutions, thus at the same time propelling the boat'a certain distance from the starting-point, the pin'G will come in contact with the movable arm H and will swing it round upon its axis I until it is brought into the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. l, when it will be released and permitted to resume its normal position. The distance through which the boat will move in its forward course before the pin Gr engages with the arm H will depend entirely upon the position of the pin G, which may be inserted at pleasure in any one of the holesff, so that the plate F will be caused to turn through anyV required portion of a complete revolution be-' fore the pin Gact'supou the arm 'Hm The length of time during which the piu G will continue to act upon the arm H depends upon the length of the arm, and this is rendered ad justa- IOO ble by permitting the same to slide through a socket at the top of the upright shaft I, as shown in the tigures, so that its length may be conveniently adjusted, and it may be secured in any required position by means of any suitable device, such as a set-screw, h. The intermittent movement thus communicated to the arm H may be employed for carrying out any required operation on board in imitation of the working of an actual vessel. I have herein shown it as applied to mechanism for automatically changing the course of the vessel; but I remark that it may be applied to various other like purposes, such as the automatic firing of a miniature gun or the raising and lowering of sails, signal-flags, Sto.

The automatic steering mechanism consists of a rudder, J of the ordinary well-known construction, which is attached to the upright shaft I. A cross-arm, K, is also secured to the upright shaft I, preferably beneath the deck a, and to the opposite ends of this cross-arm are secured retracting-sprin gs L L', the opposite extremities of which are attached to fixed points, as shown at l and l. When the rudder J is in its normal position-in line with the keelthe equal tension of the springs L and L -will cause the rudder to remain in that position. Vhen, however, the arm H, which in the present instance may be considered as the tiller of the rudder, is moved into an angular position,one of the springs L L is strained and the other slackcned. Hence by the subsequent recoil of the strained spring the tiller H and the rudder J will instantly return to their normal position after the disengagement of the tiller H from the pin G, as hereinbefore explained.

By a proper adjustment of the apparatus, which may be eifected by means of a number of pins, G, and a suitable regulation of the length of the arm H, the boat may be made to perform various movements upon the water by the automatic action of the hereinbefore-described mechanism. For example, by

making use of three pins G, inserted at equal distances in the periphery of the plate F, the boat may be caused to set out from the shore and travel a considerable distance, then change its course and proceed for another given distance, and finally change its course again and return to the point of departure; and, in fact, by varying the position or number of the pinsG and the length of the arm H the boat may be made to perform an almost infinite number of evolutions. If desired, a reversing-gear of any suitable character may be inserted at some point between the main shaft B and the plate F, so that the latter may be caused to revolve in one direction or the other atpleasure.

I claim as my invention- 1. 'lhe combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the main shaft of the propeller, the rotating plate impelled thereby, and the movable arm receiving motion from the plate during a determinate portion of the revolution of the latter.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the main shaft of the propeller, the rotating plate impelled thereby, the movable arm, and means, substantially such as described, for adjusting the length of said arm.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the rudder, the tiller, the main shaft of the propeller, and mechanism, substantially such as described, for communieating motion from said shaft to the tiller during a determinate period.

4. The combination, substantially as hereinbel'ore set forth, of the main shaft of the propeller, the rotating plate mechanically connected therewith, the pin or pins upon said disk, and the tiller projecting into the path of the pin or pins upon the rotating disk.

5. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the rudder, the tiller, and the yielding springs for restoring the tiller to .its normal position after having been acted upon by the steering mechanism.

6. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the main shaft of the propeller, the rotating plate mechanically connected therewith, the movable pin or pins upon said plate, and the movable arm or tiller.

Witnesses: JOHN E. SELDEN.

VILLIAM ROTHERY, JOHN BENTLEY. 

